Community Service Spotlight

NATIONAL REPORT -- Giving back through community service efforts and charity donations is a positive force that keeps many retailers and suppliers of this industry moving ahead. On a regular basis, Convenience Store News will highlight these philanthropic efforts in this special section. Here are the latest company spotlights:

Kum & Go
For the third year, the 38 participating Kum & Go stores in Springfield, Mo., teamed up with the Foundation for Springfield Public Schools to raise money for students.

"Gallons for Growth" was a 24-hour fundraising event, with three cents from every gallon of gas sold on that day going to the foundation.

Started in 2010, the annual effort has raised a total of $15,000 for Springfield Public Schools.

Jiffy Mart
Baltimore Ravens' punter, Sam Koch and Jiffy Mart teamed up recently to help raise funds and awareness for Carroll County Food Sunday.

Carroll County Food Sunday helps over 600 families in need within the Maryland county. One of their efforts is to provide milk vouchers for families, with over 60 percent of these vouchers redeemed at Jiffy Mart locations.

The Jiffy Mart Team presented $1,100 to Carroll County Food to help fund 275 milk vouchers.

Jiffy Mart is next planning to participate in the First Annual Baltimore Summer Football Festival being held in August. A portion of the ticket sales and Jiffy Mart items sold during the event will again benefit Carroll County Food Sunday.

Irving Oil
Irving Oil continues its biggest fundraiser in New England -- a partnership with Special Olympics, which began 13 years ago in New Hampshire and has benefited the Law Enforcement Torch Run, the largest fundraiser worldwide for the Special Olympics. Since then, the event has expanded across all six New England states and has raised more than $2 million.

On July 28, various Irving and Circle K locations will host the "To Serve and Protect Day," where Special Olympics athletes, coaches and law enforcement officers work alongside Irving and Circle K employees to pump gas, wash windshields, and greet customers at local Irving Service Stations, Travel Plazas and Circle K locations throughout New England.

People will support their Special Olympics state organization by purchasing special car window clings for $1 at Irving Service Stations, Travel Plazas, and Circle K locations in New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island. Clings can be purchased until August 5th. In addition, Irving Oil will make a direct donation of $100,000.

The Pantry Inc. and McLane Company Inc.
The Pantry Inc. and McLane Company Inc. joined together for the second annual "Salute Our Troops" campaign, inviting customers into The Pantry's more than 1,600 Kangaroo Express convenience stores across 13 states to demonstrate united support for military personnel and their families.

McLane Company Inc. and Kangaroo Express, along with presenting sponsor PepsiCo, will empower communities to shine a spotlight of praise and gratitude on the military by enlisting donations at Kangaroo Express stores through Labor Day, Sept. 4.

Donations from the campaign will support the USO, Wounded Warrior Project, and six state-based military support organizations. In its inaugural year, the 2011 Salute Our Troops campaign raised $2.5 million dollars, breaking fundraising records for many beneficiary organizations, including the largest grassroots fundraising initiative in the USO's 70-year history.

Salute Our Troops celebrations will be held at Kangaroo Express stores throughout the southeastern United States led by the Salute Our Troops Caravan.

Altria Group Inc.
Altria unveiled the first-ever winners of its Altria College Opportunity Fund scholarship program, which awards Richmond (Va.) Public Schools graduates with four-year scholarships of up to $10,000 per year. The funds can help students pay for college tuition, room and board and other academic expenses. Altria announced it will provide College Opportunity Fund scholarships for the Richmond Public Schools classes of 2012, 2013 and 2014 with a total commitment of up to $2 million over the next seven years.

Altria established the College Opportunity Fund for Richmond Public Schools seniors who are academically qualified to attend college but their families cannot afford the financial impact. The company created the fund to complement the more than $10 million in other investments it has made since 2005 in local programs for middle and high school students in metro Richmond. An impartial third party screened scholarship applicants for eligibility based on students' academic records, financial need, leadership and community service.

Anheuser-Busch
On July 14, more than 160 Anheuser-Busch employees and family members rolled up their sleeves for an exclusive "Builder Day" where for one day, they took over Habitat for Humanity St. Louis builds in University City and Carondelet. As part of its first-ever builds in these neighborhoods, Habitat Saint Louis is constructing five homes in each community.

The Anheuser-Busch Foundation, a 2012 Habitat for Humanity St. Louis Build Sponsor, has donated $67,000 to help fund the builds. This is the third year Anheuser-Busch has participated in a Habitat for Humanity St. Louis build and the company has contributed $175,000 to the organization since 2010.

Nationwide, Anheuser-Busch is involved in Habitat projects in 12 cities located near its U.S. breweries, with several hundred employees participating.

CITGO
CITGO has been in several 'giving back' spotlights recently, namely:

  • Approximately 800 community members joined local Detroit CITGO Marketer Bazzi Oil for an awards ceremony in June to honor five local high school students who each received a $500 scholarship from Bazzi Oil, with support from CITGO Petroleum Corporation, to help fund their continuing education.
  • CITGO Petroleum Corporation has launched the third edition of its CITGO-Venezuela Energy Efficient Lighting Program, a social responsibility program that will provide 500,000 energy-efficient compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs to qualifying households across 17 U.S. cities. It is expected that this year, the CITGO-Venezuela Energy Efficient Lighting Program, will help approximately 50,000 low-income households save energy. Launched in 2008 as a pilot program, the 2012 initiative begins at the start of the summer season, when electricity bills are expected to rise.
  • The Simon Bolivar Foundation, a private foundation created by CITGO, will give financial support to 36 South Bronx non-profit organizations. The selection was made through a community-advised process whereby South Bronx residents, educators, community organizers, and other leaders reviewed grant applications and recommended projects that would generate the greatest possible impact in the areas of arts and culture, education, environmental protection and health in what is still known today as the poorest Congressional District in the United States.

 

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